Should Educators go beyond HTML

If your like me in recent years you learnt a little bit of HTML, then stretched yourself by learning some CSS, just so you could take more control of your online content, or to hack an LMS module to make it look pretty. But not many educators go beyond learning HTML or CSS. More advanced coding languages like JavaScript, Ruby or C take more personal investment of time and ‘mental’ energy. Many of us can get away with never learning any languages beyond HTML/CSS, but what if we did? What could be possible?

Many educators begin to develop their own ICT skills by playing with free resources and tools on the web (Prezi, Youtube, Ning). At some point educators may learn to use an LMS and it’s components for creating content and or designing assessment. Opportunities are opening up for educators to use code to make their dream learning tools, through Learning Tools Interoperability, essentially allowing developers to make LMS Plugins written in any programming language.

“IMS Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) v1.0 provides a single framework or standard way of integrating rich learning applications — in LTI called Tools — with platforms like learning management systems, portals, or other systems from which applications can be launched”

There is one argument against learning code, that says we can save time and pain by outsourcing to overseas code factories at cheap rates. My fear is that the over use of outsourcing and ‘rapid’ design tools could lead to a brain drain amongst educators, leaving us only floating on the surface of things.

A good place to start going beyond HTML is at CodeAcademy each week for free with CodeYear

V2 have worked with us to move our training from 100% face to face and paper based to a great mix of online and face to face. Students are loving it and so are we!

StephenTraining Manager

I have worked with David over many years. More recently he has been instrumental in setting up an online course for our school. David has done an outstanding job of taking our concept and making it a reality. He is both creative and approachable and I have no hesitation in recommending him for future projects.